Hogan Innovator accident near Calhoun, GA
On March 23, 2019, a Hogan Innovator (airplane) was involved in an accident near Calhoun, GA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- March 23, 2019
- Place
- Calhoun, GA
- Aircraft
- Hogan Innovator · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.451°N, 84.951°W
- NTSB ID
- 20190323X91950
Official records · ERA19FA134
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 23, 2019, at 1535 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Commuter Craft Innovator, N257AR, was destroyed by collision with terrain during an uncontrolled descent after takeoff from Thomas B. David Field (CZL), Calhoun, Georgia. The pilot/owner/designer/builder was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight test which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to employees of Commuter Craft, the airplane was the prototype for an airplane planned for mass production. The airplane was flown for the first time by a test pilot on February 25, 2019 at Tom B. David Field (CLZ), Calhoun, Georgia. The test pilot completed one traffic pattern and landed. The airplane was disassembled, returned to the factory, modified according to the pilot/builder based on captured data and test-pilot observations, and then brought back to CLZ for taxi testing the day prior to the accident. On the day of the accident, the pilot asked his assistant to fly in a "chase plane" with a camera and photograph the airplane "in case it takes off." The pilot said he did not intend to fly, would land if the airplane lifted off, and would only fly if "he had no other choice." According to his assistant, she watched from the chase plane as the airplane departed "barely above the trees," turned in the traffic pattern, and then descended from view. According to the chase pilot, the pilot/owner instructed him to depart ahead of the accident airplane. The pilot/owner said
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the airplane's second test flight, which resulted in a collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot allowing external pressures to guide his decision to fly the airplane when he possessed little total flight experience, no recent flight experience, and no experience in the accident airplane or similar airplane.
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Browse: Georgia
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
